For about three quarters, the featured matchup of Week 2 of college football between Ohio State and Texas was one-sided in favor of the Buckeyes. But 21 unanswered points in the fourth quarter allowed the Longhorns to get the win. Texas replaces Ohio State as the top team in the AP Top 25. Ohio State falls to #6, replacing Oregon after their upset loss to Oklahoma State. They have to be the most disappointing team so far this year after having their sights on a national championship. Oklahoma fell from #11 to #24 after a loss to unranked Michigan. The Wolverines enter the AP Top 25 at #19.
Many of the top-ranked teams should have fairly easy matchups in Week 3. In the top ranked-on-ranked matchup, Lane Kiffin will return to Oxford, Mississippi, to lead #7 LSU against #8 Ole Miss less than a year after he coached the Rebels to the College Football Playoff semifinal. Other ranked-on-ranked matchups that will be a Friday night game between #22 Houston and #13 Texas Tech as each team opens up Big 12 play. On Saturday afternoon, #16 SMU will look to stay undefeated against a #23 Louisiville that almost beat Ole Miss in Week 1.
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Here are a few players who had a good week and might be able to help out the Commanders. Let me know what you think about these prospects and feel free to comment with players that stood out to you.
Jayden Daniels was not his best against Philadelphia for a variety of reasons, but performed better as the game went on. No need to hit the panic button. The search for developmental QBs continues with Austin Simmons. Transferring from Ole Miss after an injury that opened the door for Trinidad Chambliss, Simmons has the size of an NFL QB at 6’4″ and 220 pounds. He is not much of a runner, but he has an NFL arm. In a win over Kansas, Simmpns showed a lot of pro ability. There were throws with anticipation, ball placement away from defenders, even a few play-action snaps with throws on the move. Simmons will have to continue this level of play against SEC competition to be anything more than a late-round pick. He ended the day 19 of 29 for 292 yards and three touchdowns.
The Commanders’ run game looked good against Philadelphia, and David Blough might want lean on it a little more against Dallas. The running backs did not contribute much in the pass game. J’Koby Williams could help in that area. Through two games, he already has 10 receptions. Williams is at his best when he can get in space where he is quick enough to make defenders miss. His vision and patience help him find that space. The biggest knocks against him? He’s only 5’10”, 185 pounds. That’s concerning for durability and blocking. At that size, you need to have speed and he doesn’t look very fast. Williams had 116 yards and a touchdown on 20 carries in a win over Oregon State.
Rookie Antonio Williams looked good leading the Commanders in receiving yards, and tying for the lead in catches and touchdowns on limited snaps. If he keeps it up, he will be a starter sooner than later. A player like Charlie Becker would be an excellent complement to Williams. With Elijah Surratt and Omar Cooper, Jr. in the league, the 6’4″, 208-pound Becker has an increased role for the Hoosiers and he’s taking advantage of it. He’s fast and has fantastic hands. Becker’s a great contested catch receiver because he excels adjusting to passes. He might be a first-round talent, but more diverse routes and improved route-running would solidify it. Becker only needed three catches to get three touchdowns and 81 yards in a win over Howard.
The tight ends were not impactful as receivers against Philadelphia. Hats off to their linebackers in coverage. Hunter Tipton might give the group a boost. At 6’5″, 241 pounds, he looks more like a big receiver. At that size, Tipton has good speed. His hands are reliable and he has some toughness after the catch. Memphis will line him up as an H-Back, but he’s rarely used inline. The blocking needs work, but he gives good effort when asked to do it. Tipton left the loss against Boise State in the third quarter with an injury, but not before he had nine catches for 229 yards and a touchdown.
Nick Allegretti did not have his best game, but I thought it would be much worse going against Philadelphia’s front. Center is still the weakest link on the offensive line. Canon Boone, the 6’4″, 325 pound sixth-year senior is stout in the middle of the Bulldogs’ line. He can anchor quickly against power and has enough lateral quickness to handle quicker interior defenders. Boone has enough athleticism to run some zone blocking concepts, but he looks more comfortable in a gap scheme. Getting leaner might help his athleticism, but I don’t know how much a 25 year-old rookie can change his body. Boone and the Bulldogs (great band name) scored 38 points and put up 479 total yards, 252 of those on the ground, in a win over Minnesota.
The defensive line got a lot of push and penetration with Odafe Oweh and K’Lavon Chaisson putting tons of pressure on Jalen Hurts. Charles Omenihu was impactful from various alignments. Devan Thompkins looks like a versatile defensive lineman that would fit the Commanders’ front. The transfer from USC moves well for a 6’5″, 300-pound player. His quickness helps him disengage from blocks or beat them to the spot. With the strength to stand his ground in the run game or bull rush in the pass game, Thompkins’ skillset would be an asset in Daronte Jones’ defense. Thompkins contributed six tackles, two sacks, and a forced fumble in the Crimson Tide’s win over Kentucky.
Aside from the missed tackle by Leo Chenal on Saquon Barkley, the linebacker play was strong against the Eagles. Sonny Styles had some splash plays and Frankie Luvu looked back to his 2024 form before exiting with an injury. TJ Dottery, a transfer from Ole Miss, is a quick, athletic player in the middle of the Tigers defense. He might be smaller than his listed 6’2″, 232 pounds, but he drops into coverage so easily and shows awareness for his responsibilities in zone coverage. Dottery has no problems hitting and tackling at the line of scrimmage. He forced two fumbles and had nine tackles in the Tigers’ win over Louisiana Tech.
Last week, I said Mike Sainristil‘s coverage was hot and cold. It was cold against the Eagles. I was excited about Sainristil coming out of Michigan, but the Commanders have used him as an outside, man coverage cornerback too often. So, why not draft another cornerback from Michigan that wears #0? Jyaire Hill is a long cornerback at 6’2″, 190 pounds. He moves fluidly at that size, but he’s slim. The desire to participate in run support and run down plays is there, but it’s a question how impactful he’ll be when he gets to the ball. Coverage in man and zone is good. Hill looks plenty fast to carry receivers deep or recover if beat. He helped Michigan upset Oklahoma with five tackles and an interception.
Nick Cross was the standout among the safeties for the Commanders, but others also played well. While I love Jeremy Reaves, I wonder if there’s too much on his plate starting at safety and playing special teams. Alex McLaughlin, at 6’2″, 205 pounds, could contribute in Daronte Jones’ three-safety looks. McLaughlin has speed, but I don’t think he has enough to reliably play single-high safety. He processes the offense quickly and it helps him get to the ball and make plays. McLaughlin had nine tackles, two sacks, two PBUs, and an interception in the Huskies’ win over Utah State.
Which college players caught your eye in Week 2 and could help the Washington Commanders?
